Fluid-discharge device



Jan 22, 1963 KARDORFF ETAL 3,075,035

FLUID-DISCHARGE DEVICE Filed Jan. 26, 1960 LEO/v KA RDORFF CHARLES M. GOLD INVENTOR` Uniteni States Patent 3,075,035 lli'LUlDmD-CHARGE DEVICE Leon Kardortt, Jamaica, and Charles M. Gold, Franklin Square, NKY., assignor's to Yardney International Corp., New York, NY., a corporation of New York Filed Ilan. 26, 1960, Ser. No. 4,689 6 Claims. (Cl. 13am-9d) The present invention relates to a fluid-discharge device as used, for example, for activating electrochemical batteries of the deterred-action or reserve type wherein one or more dry-charged cells are supplied with electrolyte liquor in response to a predetermined signal.

Various systems have been proposed heretofore Wherein a frangible diaphragm, originally blocking the passage of electrolyte from its storage container to the battery, is pierced or shattered in response to the activating signal so that the liquor can liow through the breach. In order to reduce the activation delay to a minimum, it is desirable to place the liquor under suiicient pressure to make its irruption into the Ibattery substantially instantaneous. Such pressure, however, should come into existence only at or immediately prior to the time of intended activation so as not to cause premature rupture of the diaphragm.

In one prior system, disclosed in pending application Ser. No. 416,468 led March 16, 1954, now Patent No. 3,018,314, by Emanuel Cooper and Charles M. Gold, the activating signal releases a charge of compressed gas which then acts upon the electrolyte and through it upon the diaphragm, urging the latter into contact with a sta tionary puncturing device. This system performs satisfactorily with certain types of exible diaphragms, especially plastic membranes having an inwardly facing bulge Which reverses its curvature in response to pressure from the electrolyte, but is not readily adaptable for use with, for example, a metallic diaphragm designed to be ruptured by a pivoting cutter as disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. 4,806, filed on even date herewith by Charles M. Gold, one of the present joint inventors.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved activator for the purpose described, having means for positively synchronizing the application of pressure to a fluid (eg. an electrolyte liquor) with the operation of a movable cutter for rupturing a diaphragm in the path of such lluid.

It has, furthermore, been found desirable, particularly in conjunction with relatively rigid diaphragrns such as steel disks, to delay the application of pressure to the fluid until the cutter has begun to puncture th-e diaphragm, thereby avoiding the disk of creating leakages elsewhere in the system. It is, accordingly, another object of the invention to provide means for so timing the two operations as to insure the desired delay.

In accordance with this invention there is provided, in a duid-discharge device such as a battery activator, a cutter rnovably positioned adjacent a diaphragm blocking the outflow of a duid from a reservoir, a source of compressed gas adapted, when released, to exert pressure upon the iluid, and a preferable electrically actuatable operating member poised to displace the cutter in a diaphragm-rupturing sense, this member being linked via a delay device (eg. a lost-motion connection) with a gasreleasing element associated with the aforementioned source whereby the gas is liberated to exert pressure upon the tluid after a predetermined interval following the beginning of the diaphragm-cutting operation.

The operating member may be actuated in a variety of ways, advantageously by the impact resulting from the release of a stored force such as, for example, the detonation pressure of an explosive charge which is set off in response to an external signal effecting the closure of np Y an electrical circuit. This member may then be in the form of a plunger adapted to be propelled by the release of the stored force, the plunger in a preferred embodiment having an abutment (eg. an edge of a slot) which, after a travel of the plunger over a certain distance, engages a break-olf, point on a nozzle of a cartridge in which the compressed gas is stored whereby this gas is released into a duct leading to a piston (e.g. an inflatable bladder) adapted to exert pressure upon the electrolytic liquor to be discharged.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FG. l is a sideelevational View, partly in section, of l an activating device embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line II-Il of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, taken on the line Ill- Iii of FlG. 1, of a distributor for an electrolytic liquor to be discharged from a reservoir by the activator.

The drawing shows a system for the instantaneous activation of a dry-charged battery lil whose several cells 11 are adapted to be supplied, via a U-shaped manifold 12, with electrolyte entering the manifold through a conduit 13. Each cell 11 contains a conventional electrode assembly, c g. of silver-oxide positive plates and zinc negative plates separated by layers of paper or other highly permeable sheet material, which can be irrigated from the manifold 12 through a respective filling tube 14 whose open lower end terminates directly -above the cell bottom so as to cause llilling from below. The tubes 14 advantageously extend in opposite directions from the branches of the manifold 12 at an acute angle, alternately forwardly and rearwardly as ybest seen in FIG. 3, whereby a simultaneous draining of all the cells upon a tilting of the assembly in any direction will be avoided.

The electrolyte, e.g. a concentrated solution of potassium hydroxide, is initially stored in a reservoir 15 provided at opposite ends with an inlet 16 and an outlet 17. Inlet 16 represents the termination of a gas duct 1S which at that point communicates with the interior of an inflatable bladder 19 extending within the reservoir toward outlet 17. This outlet is originally blocked by a preferably metallic diaphragm 20, erg. a disk of stainless steel a fraction of a millimeter in thickness, and is covered inside the reservoir by a shield Z1 in the form of a perforated cap curved toward the bladder 19. Diaphragm 20 is adaptedv to be ruptured by a cutter 22 having the shape of a bell-crank lever pivotable about a pin 23 Within a chamber 24, the depending 4arm 22a of this lever being generally triangular and terminating in a knife point which penetrates the diaphragm and slits it open in an upward direction upon a counter-clockwisev swinging of the cutter (as viewed in FIG. 1) .about its pivot 23. Such swinging is normally prevented by a safety stud 25, of a relatively soft metal such as copper, serving to hold the cutter 22 against chattering and striking against the diaphragm.

The horizontal arm 22b of lever 22 is in contact with a plunger 26 entering the chamber 24 at a location approximately opposite that at which the chamber communicates with the conduit 13 leading to the 'cells 11 of battery 10. Plunger 26 is slidable within a cylinder Z7 whose extremity remote lfrom chamber 24 is closed by a plug 28 supporting a squib 29. The charge of the squib can be detonated by the closure of a switch (not shown) connecting it, via wires 36, to a suitable source of electric current. Cylinder 27 has two lateral bosses 31, 32, boss 31 receiving the inlet end of gas duct 18 whereas boss 32 is traversed by a discharge nozzle 33 of a cartridge 34 containing a charge of compressed gas. Nozzle 33 terminates in a closed nipple 33a from which it is separated by a constriction 331'). Nipple 33a is receive'd with clearance in a slot 35 of plunger 26 in such manner'thatthe upper edge ofthe slot strikes the nipple after the plunger has ybeen forced downwardly, by an explosion of squib w29, for suicient distance to v cause initial ruptureof Adiaphragm 20 by 'cputteri2`2`g stud 25 yields under thefpressure .of -the explosionas *indicated indot-'dashlin'es infFIGURE l. The couplingof nipple 33a'vvitl1 plunger 26 via slot V35 represents alost-rnotion onnectpionwhich delays the exertion of pressure upon the "liquidin reservoir '15, through-the break-off` of the nippleto releasegasjfrom cartridge 34 viaduct 118 into bladder" 19, vuntil -afterV the diaphragml 20 has been at least Y sufficiently weakened to be quickly ruptured Vby the pressureA of the liquid and lthecontinuing action of cutter-,22 whereby damage. to the reservoir 15 orother parts of the apparatusis effectively prevented.

ervoir containing `fluid electrolyte and having an e1e'ctrolyte outlet` end; a diaphragm normally blocking said outlet end; gas pressure operated means adopted topropel said `electrolyte 3p-from said reservoir intofthe battery; ya source of compressed vgas provided with a normally blocked gas-release means; means connecting said com pressedjgas source withI said -pressure-operated means Wh'ensaidygas-release means is open;fcutter`means operav Y tively mounted for cutting said diaphragm; and consecutively operating means adapted-to operate said cutter means and to unblock said gas-release means whereby said cutter lis caused to cut said diaphragm and said gas `is conveyed to said pressure-operated means.

2. A deferred-action battery according to claim l wherein said consecutively operating means in a piston adapted to engage said cutter means and then said normally blocked gas release means.

3. A deferred-actionV battery according to claim 2 wherein said normally blocked gas release Vmeans is a nipple closing oif said compressed gas source.

4. A deferred-action battery according to claim 2 wherein said pressure operated means is an inflatable bag disposed inside said reservoir.

5. A deferred-action battery according to claim 2 including a squib positioned to move said piston on detonation.

6. A deferred-action battery according to claim 2 wherein said diaphragm is a cuttable metal diaphragm.

OTHER nnrasnnisrcns Electronic Design, Dec. l5, 1957, page 23.l 

1. IN A DEFERRED-ACTION BATTERY IN COMBINATION, A RESERVOIR CONTAINING FLUID ELECTROLYTE AND HAVING AN ELECTROLYTE OUTLET END; A DIAPHRAGM NORMALLY BLOCKING SAID OUTLET END; GAS PRESSURE OPERATED MEANS ADOPTED TO PROPEL SAID ELECTROLYTE FROM SAID RESERVOIR INTO THE BATTERY; A SOURCE OF COMPRESSED GAS PROVIDED WITH A NORMALLY BLOCKED GAS-RELEASE MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID COMPRESSED GAS SOURCE WITH SAID PRESSURE-OPERATED MEANS WHEN SAID GAS-RELEASE MEANS IS OPEN; CUTTER MEANS OPERATIVELY MOUNTED FOR CUTTING SAID DIAPHRAGM; AND CONSECUTIVELY OPERATING MEANS ADAPTED TO OPERATE SAID CUTTER MEANS AND TO UNBLOCK SAID GAS-RELEASE MEANS WHEREBY 